Rocking in the Tropics!

Lady Stardust Faro-Portugal to Barcelona - 2010
Paul Collister
Mon 4 Dec 2006 17:37
We had quite an eventful weekend due to the size of the swell of the sea and its 20 foot waves! The boat was rocking steeply from side to side and water filled the cockpit a few times. By Saturday evening the waves were splashing water into the cabin and onto the chart table so we closed the doors for a while and sat on cushions on the cabin floor because it was the best place to maintain balance. Cooking anything elaborate was out of the question so Paul rustled us up some baguettes with frankfurters & onions for him and peanut butter for me which we ate on the floor with the oil lamps on, listening to the waves lash us outside. When it came to my 8 o'clock watch all I wanted to do was sleep due to the disturbed night we'd already had but I needed to stay alert to keep an eye on the sails in the 30 knots of wind we were experiencing and to make sure we stayed on course. I resorted to using an egg timer to wake me every 15 minutes in the end and Paul came up a couple of times to adjust the sails - it's surprising where you can fall asleep if you're tired enough.
Such conditions made us realise that we needed to readjust our stowage down below. Articles such as books, plates, papers and kitchen implements were flying out of their homes and crashing around creating alarming noises. From Paul's makeshift bed on the floor he could see the plastic dishes and plates launch themselves from the galley shelf and spend a bit of time on the cooker before shooting off of there to attack him. He said it was like a surreal game where he had to catch them before they hit him.
The sea was slightly calmer by Sunday afternoon so we tidied the debris and re-stowed things before celebrating our first week at sea with a box of delicious Irish chocolates kindly given to us by our friend Ciaran before we left. The afternoon was spent listening to music - quite hard to find stuff we both like but we compromise and take turns (as long as Paul doesn't put any cello music on that is :). Later I made Briam in the pressure cooker, a traditional Greek dish comprising courgettes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil and potatoes but I added carrots to mine. The waves had increased in size again and the rocking resumed in earnest so we sat on the cabin floor to eat again. The rocking and rolling continued through the night causing us to stagger about like drunks - a condition not entirely unknown to us.
This morning (Mon 4th) was slightly better and we watched the fascinating sight of lots of flying fish leaping out of the water and flying across the waves like little silver birds before gliding gracefully back into the sea, a marvellous sight. The clock has now gone back another hour since we moved another 15 degrees west and we're making excellent progress. The weather is hot and sunny with enough wind to prevent it being too stifling so it's all very pleasant despite the bucking bronco conditions.
Bye for now,
Kathy